Tempe’s next police-recruit application window remains open through September 2
Tempe opened its current Police Officer – New Recruit application window July 9, 2026, and applicants have until 11:59 p.m. Arizona time on September 2, 2026, to apply.
The posting lists an annual starting salary of $79,977. Applicants who advance after the application period are scheduled to test on Wednesday, September 16, or Saturday, September 19.
Basic requirements and application steps
Tempe’s recruitment materials say applicants must be U.S. citizens, be at least 20½ years old at the time of application, and have a high school diploma or equivalent. Applicants must also meet the minimum requirements established by the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board and the Tempe Police Department.
Applicants must submit an online city application. After the application is accepted, candidates who have not already done so are instructed to complete the Arizona POST personal-history form and share it with Tempe Police. The city also directs applicants to complete and print its personal-history, release and background-screening packet and bring it to the physical-agility test.
Tempe identifies government-issued photo identification, proof of citizenship and high school or college education documents among the materials candidates may need to provide during testing. Human Resources is expected to send additional testing information after applications close.
Testing comes before later suitability reviews
The physical-agility examination is the first major testing stage. Tempe describes it as the POPAT, or Peace Officer Physical Aptitude Test. It includes a 99-yard obstacle course, a 165-pound dummy lift and drag, a chain-link fence climb, a solid-fence climb and a 500-yard run.
The written examination is administered on the same day as the physical-agility test. Candidates who score at least 70% on the written examination move to the background list. Veterans who provide an honorable-service DD214 may receive military preference points.
Passing the physical and written examinations is not a job offer. The later process includes a background interview, polygraph examination, psychological evaluation and medical examination. Tempe says a conditional job offer may be extended after an applicant successfully completes the earlier phases and before the psychological and medical stages.
Staffing and budget context
Tempe Police Department’s 2025-26 quick-facts document lists 343 authorized sworn positions for the current fiscal year. The document lists 355 authorized sworn positions in both fiscal years 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Those figures describe authorized staffing levels, not the department’s current number of unfilled jobs. The available city documents do not establish a specific vacancy count, and the decline in authorized positions by itself does not show that the department is understaffed or explain why the recruitment window was opened.
A separate city financial report covers the second quarter of fiscal 2025-26, which ended December 31, 2025. It says the Police Department had spent 43.9% of its General Fund budget through that point, compared with a three-year historical average of 42.2%.
The report lists total police spending of $50,295,573 against a budget of $48,305,519 — a difference of about $2 million, or 4.1% above budget. The city said annual one-time payouts processed during the first quarter contributed to the variance.
The spending figure measures budget performance. It does not measure sworn staffing or establish a vacancy total.
What applicants should know
People interested in becoming Tempe police officers should submit the online application by September 2 at 11:59 p.m. Arizona time. Applicants who progress from the application stage should watch for city instructions about the September 16 and September 19 testing dates.
The recruitment process begins with eligibility review, the online application and required personal-history materials. It then moves through physical-agility and written examinations, followed by background, polygraph, psychological and medical screening for candidates who continue.
Sources
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